1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a portable computer, and more particularly, to a portable computer which has an enhanced mounting structure for a touch-pad.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology to make a portable computer small and light has been applied in consideration of mobility, convenient use, and economy, thereby allowing a user to use the portable computer anywhere. The portable computer typically includes a main body unit to process data and a display unit to display the data into visualized objects. To designate one of the plurality of visualized objects, a cursor or a pointer under the control of a user is displayed as an image. In a desktop computer where mobility is irrelevant, a mouse is typically used to control and move the pointer. With portable computers, a touch-pad is typically employed to allow a user to control and move the pointer as the user wishes. The touch-pad is typically mounted on a casing which forms an external appearance with respect to the main body unit.
In conventional portable computers, a through hole is typically formed on the casing, and a plate surface of the touch-pad is exposed via the through hole from an inner surface of the casing. A separate bracket is coupled to the inner surface of the casing by a screw or the like to support the touch-pad. One disadvantage of such a configuration is that a height difference between an outer surface of the casing and the plate surface of the touch-pad causes an undesirable external appearance of the touch-pad. Moreover, a user's hand may be uncomfortable during operation of the touch-pad due to the height difference. Furthermore, because an additional assembly process is required to couple the separate bracket to the inner surface of the casing by a screw, the cost of making the device increases and productivity and efficiency decreases owing to the additional process.
In other conventional portable computers, the casing may be manufactured by injection-molding or similar processes in order to maintain a relatively thin region for the touch-pad. The touch-pad is then typically adhered to the thin region from the inner surface of the casing by double-sided adhesive tape.
In these conventional portable computers, the thickness of the casing is typically less than about 0.7 mm so that the touch-pad attached to the inner surface of the casing will recognize a touched coordinate when a user touches the outer surface of the casing. However, such a relatively thin region causes difficulty in manufacturing the casing and increases possibility of damage due to an external impact.
Also, because the touch-pad is supported to the casing by only the double-sided adhesive tape, the adhesive strength of the double-sided adhesive tape must be strong enough to overcome the weight of the touch-pad. One consequence of this design is that the strong adhesive strength of the double-sided adhesive tape must be overcome to separate and change the touch-pad from the casing. Accordingly, it is difficult to separate the touch-pad for installation or maintenance purposes, and the adhesive area of the touch-pad or the casing may be damaged when the touch-pad is separated from the casing.
The above-described problems may be avoided if the touch-pad is stably supported.